North Korea releases imprisoned Ontario pastor

North Korea says it has released a Canadian pastor who has been serving a life sentence since 2015 for anti-state activities over health reasons.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said on its website Wednesday that Hyeon Soo Lim was released on ``sick bail'' following a decision by the country's Central Court.

The news was announced after a delegation from the Canadian government went to Pyongyang to discuss Lim's case.

Lim, a pastor with the Light Korean Presbyterian Church of Mississauga had been sentenced by a North Korean court to life in prison at hard labour for what it called crimes against the state.

Lim was charged with included harming the dignity of the supreme leadership, trying to use religion to destroy the North Korean system, disseminating negative propaganda about the North to overseas Koreans and helping American and South Korean authorities lure and abduct North Korean citizens, along with aiding their programs to assist defectors from the North.

The Canadian delegation is led by Daniel Jean, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The last time a Canadian delegation was sent to Pyongyang to discuss the release of the 62-year-old pastor was in late 2016.